


crack open the door

by thethrillof



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Handplates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-05-23 22:54:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6132941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thethrillof/pseuds/thethrillof
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on Zarla's <a href="http://zarla-s.tumblr.com/post/139516306171/okay-i-get-a-lot-of-questions-about-what-order-the"> Handplates AU.</a></p>
<p>Bits and pieces of a timeline that wasn't, or <i>timelines</i> that weren't; where Gaster was never erased, where a pair of nameless skeleton brothers were kept hidden away to be weapons, where the final child landed in an Underground that's rather different.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	crack open the door

**Author's Note:**

> (The chapter that was written on tumblr already, slamming it up here so I don't forget that I wanted to add more.)
> 
> edit: [Someone did a reading of this fic on tumblr, check it out~](http://tails-of-a-dragon-rider.tumblr.com/post/140634380307/well-i-wanted-to-do-something-for-this-fic-for-a)

 

The first thing they notice is a smaller part of the room, sectioned off with only a bed hooked to the wall–and two figures slumped next to it, rather than either of them on it.

They aren’t noticed until they’re right at the entrance of the room, and the blue flare of a force field startles the taller form into looking over at them. Not a room. A cell.

It’s a skeleton.

…The other is a skeleton too, asleep. Looks like he’s using the other’s ribcage as a pillow. They’re both wearing something like hospital gowns, all wrinkled.

They linger near the force field for a little bit, since it lights the room better than the faint green of a single, unreadable screen. Looks like a bunch of computers, and bookshelves.

The tall skeleton stays quiet until they take a step away, letting the barrier’s light flicker off.

“ARE…ARE YOU A NEW LAB ASSISTANT?”

Well…technically, they’re assisting a lab assistant. At least if they’d read her somewhat-subtle clues in her words and notes she’d saved in their new phone right. And the even-less-subtle hints in her resulting panic over the undernet site she’d signed them up for. Those were unintentional, probably.

♥ Yes      No

“OH.”

Except for the hum of machines, it goes quiet again.

They keep going around the lab, poking at bookshelves. There are notes they can’t read, and diagrams of bones and monster SOULS and human SOULS and they’re a bit unsettled. They don’t skip any of it, though, just in case it’s important later.

The tall one shifts a little. “IS…THE DOCTOR COMING IN TODAY?” He’s trying not to sound afraid, but he still does anyway.

They have no idea, actually. They haven’t seen him. And they don’t even know what “today” consists of without the sun.

Yes        ♥ No

They take two more steps before the smaller opens his eyes. “looks like a day off for us, huh, bro?”

“YES. MORE TIME FOR YOU TO–-WASTE SLEEPING, BROTHER! LUCKY YOU!”

The taller one sounds forced. The smaller one really does seem tired, but his eyes don’t shut again. Or look away from them at all.

It’s a little disconcerting. The skeletons watch their movement in unison, not saying anything again until they risk poking their head into the other room–and then the door sliding open cuts off whatever the smaller one was apparently going to respond with.

The other room has computers, and books–thicker, textbooks, not notebooks–containers of mushy grey, vials of glowing bluish stuff–no, looking closer, they’re needles.

They need to walk right up against a huge machine that reminds them of a bird skull lying on its side to see the final thing–one more computer, much smaller than the ones near the cell, still on. It has pictures on it.

Familiar ones. They’re in all the notebooks.

They’re reminded of something: _don’t step in the leaves_.

They go back in and check the shelves in order. Pictures of hands, of crosses, of stars and flags. They’ll match, right? Half of it’s right on the computer screen.

It turns out they need to check multiple times, since it almost seems to change. After the third slow piece of the sort-of-matching-puzzle, the skeletons start talking.

“…so. newbie. got a name?”

The door makes a noise every time they step through.

_Click. Wrrr._

“seems like nope.”

_Click. Wrrr._

“…MAYBE THEY’RE NOT ALLOWED TO TELL US?”

_Click. Wrrr._

“y’know, the doctor doesn’t give access to this place to just anybody.”

_Click. Wrrr._

“…ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE HERE?”

_Click. Wrrr._

“how else would they be in here?”

_Click. Wrrr._

“heh. wonder if he’s trying to see if we’re not so boneheaded this time.”

_Click. Wrrr._

“IS THIS ANOTHER TEST?”

Yes         ♥ No

“…then what is it?”

_Click._

There are files. A lot of them are about the skeletons. Subjects S and P are what they seem to be called–it’s mostly written in the same shapes as the puzzle was using, somehow, so they can’t actually tell, but it doesn’t matter anyway. They have a few instructions on their phone, how to transfer files, and so they do, to save and deliver later.

And then there’s something more immediately interesting.  It looks like an ON/OFF button.

They’re pretty sure they know what that button is for.

♥ Press the button                          Leave it alone

Everything in the room they’re in stays as it is.

In the other room, the hum of the machinery stops.

_Wrrr._

It’s pitch black, except for three gleaming, colorful dots.

“…BROTHER…?”

Then two.

Then none.

It isn’t hard to make their way out. The lab is tidy and clean, so there’s not much to bump into.

It’s probably a good time to save, so they backtrack to do that, back into the steaming heat of Hotland, and in a room right after the save point they nearly slam into the skeletons’ backs.

They expect a FIGHT, but nothing happens. The pair doesn’t even turn around, and then they see why.

A screech of metal announces a newish presence. “PUNK! DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD ESCAPE?”

Undyne has a mini-mecha. They can see bubbles of water in the area around where her face is visible through glass shaped like menacing eyes. The arms are made of spears.

The lab assistant is beside her, wringing her hands.

For a split second, they regret pouring water over Undyne’s face.

They suddenly realize the skeletons are cowering, clinging tightly to each other between them and Undyne. The small one looks soaked with sweat, and the bigger one seems to be crying.

“ok, ok, look, we’re sorry, we’ll go r-right back,” the smaller one says. They notice they have plates drilled into one hand each. They wonder if they have names besides S and P.

S-brother takes a step forward, as if to shield P-brother. P-brother steps forward too, half tugging him close. They end up even closer to Undyne’s machine that way, trying to keep the other one safe.

“What? ARE YOU TRYING TO PROTECT THEM? DID THEY MESS WITH YOU TOO?”

“PLEASE DON’T, I–I’LL– ” “we don’t need to do this, sorry, we’ll just–”

Undyne takes a step forward.

This has a high chance of going badly.

Turn and run                              ♥ Distract Undyne

They shout as loud as they can that she couldn’t catch them if their hands were tied behind their back.

Everything seems to freeze. Almost. The pair turn to stare at them, looking completely lost.

“…What. Did. You. _Say.”_

The tranquility explodes with the ground an inch in front of their SOUL. Gleaming spears rain down, blocking their view of everything–

–-their SOUL turns _blue,_ just for a second, so they’re dragged and only get hit once instead of half a dozen times–-

♥ Flee

Just before they get back through the laboratory door, they see Undyne leap _over_ the skeleton brothers, the assistant follow her while skirting around the pair, and then it’s time to run again.

At least this time the spears are a little slower, since the doorways are too small and the mecha wastes time smashing through it.

The brothers are nowhere to be seen, which is good, since everything is a deadly mess.

They’re sure they’ll meet again later.

* * *

[  
[here we go.]](http://zarla-s.tumblr.com/post/140120692349/a-while-back-thethrillof-wrote-a-short-handplates)

* * *

 


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